Unbreakable Heart
by MKShepard
Summary: One-shot, Mass Effect 2 told from Miranda's POV. In the beginning, she was the cold and calculating ice queen of Cerberus. Shepard changes that.


**A/N just a quick one-shot idea I got from listening to the song Unbreakable Heart by Three Days Grace. Enjoy :)**

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**Unbreakable Heart**

_**Hijacked when you weren't looking  
Behind your back, people are talking  
Using words that cut you down to size**_

I've always liked to know where I fit in the world, it helps me find purpose in who I am. I have never had a problem with that. My father made me to his image of perfection, the intelligence, the looks, even the biotics. He paid for it all. That is why when I get a compliment, I brush it off as if it was nothing. Because quite frankly, all I can own up to are my mistakes. Every other accomplishment was made because of the genetic engineering. I created this cold exterior to hide this insecurity, earning to nicknames bitch, tease, hell-hound, and the most common, ice queen. But I brushed them all off.

_**You wanna fight back, it's building inside you  
Holding you up, taking you hostage  
Yeah, It's worth fighting for**_

Instead of using my gifts for my egomaniacal father's plan, I use them for the greater good: the advancement of the human race. Sometimes tough decisions have to be made in order to achieve this goal, but if it improves us then it was all worth it. It's looking at the big picture. It was this line of thinking and my skills that got me a position as the Illusive Man's unofficial right hand. I was then assigned to the most difficult undertaking, bringing Shepard back to life. I couldn't fail, and I wouldn't. Not when the fate of humanity and everything else in the galaxy depended on it.

_**They'll try to take your pride, try to take your soul  
They'll try to take all the control,  
They'll look you in the eyes, fill you full of lies  
Believe me, they're gonna try**_

Of course, in every war there is a traitor. In this one, it was Wilson. He had been working on the Lazarus Project, whose goal was to bring Shepard back just the way he was. We had successfully completed our task, and all that was left were a couple of months so that Shepard's remaining scars would heal. It had been 2 years and 12 days when Wilson made his move. He programed the mechs to attack the station. The station was in chaos, but I could not let him destroy all we've accomplished these past two years. I would not let them get to Shepard. I tried waking him up through the intercom, and it worked. He woke up, and I tried to lead him to the shuttles, but then mechs hit my position. I told him to continue, that I would meet up with him there. I could take on these mechs, but after a while they could take me out. This however, would not happen, not today. I fought through a bunch of mechs, racing towards the shuttles to get to Shepard. I had to make sure he'd make it.

_**So when you're feeling crazy and things fall apart  
**__**Listen**__** to your head, remember who you are  
You're the one, you're the unbreakable**_

_**Heart, you're the one  
you're the unbreakable heart  
You're the one, you're the one**_

After what felt like ages of fighting my way through mechs, I finally met up with Shepard, who had come across Jacob on his way here. One problem with this situation: they were with Wilson. I shot him between the eyes no hesitation. He was a traitor, and deserved no mercy. Not after all the people he just killed. (1) Shepard was astute, saying that he knew Wilson was looking for a chance to shoot him in the back. He came with me to another facility, even though he knew who I worked for. I saw this as a good sign. I guess I didn't need the control chip after all, and I'm glad he saw reason instead of being narrow minded. We got to the station after I had made him a couple of questions. He went to "meet" with the Illusive Man in private.

_**Hijacked when you weren't looking  
Behind your back, people are talking  
Using words that cut you down to size**_

When he came out, we went to investigate a missing colony. The first of many missions to come. After we completed that mission, we were in a non-stop streak of missions completed. We were recruiting the people on our dossiers at lightning speed. We even came across some of Shepard's old crew mates. We eventually recruited Jack, and this created a problem. She was unstable, and a liability. Shepard noted my concerns, but didn't change anything.

_**You wanna fight back, you're out in the open  
You're under attack, but your spirit's not broken  
You know it's worth fighting for**_

After Horizon, everyone wanted to get closure, because it had finally sunk in. We could all die from this mission. The crew went to Shepard for help in tying their loose ends. Kasumi was the first, then Zaeed, and so on. I had made peace with everything, or so I thought. One of my contacts, Lanteia, contacted me saying that Oriana, my sister, might be in danger. I panicked, but I got my thoughts straight. I asked Shepard for help, which he reluctantly agreed, which is something I did not expect. We met with my contact in Illium, where she informed us about the situation. The Blue Suns were involved, and things were getting complicated.

_**They'll try to take your pride, try to take your soul  
They'll try to take all the control,  
They'll look you in the eyes, fill you full of lies  
Believe me, they're gonna try**_

When we got to the location, we encountered a group of mercs, and one that said he would only give us one chance to back out. He ended up with a snapped neck. We fought our way through many waves of mercs and mechs. I felt as if we weren't going fast enough. I was losing my focus, and to make it worse, we heard over the radio that my trusted friend, Niket, had switched sides. I couldn't believe it, he wouldn't do that. He helped me escape my father, why would he betray me now? Shepard had to pull me to the side and calm me down after nearly getting hit with a bullet, which that idiot took for me.

_**So when you feeling crazy and things fall apart  
Listen to your head, remember who you are  
You're the one, you're the unbreakable**_

We finally reached Niket and Captain Enyala, only to confirm he had betrayed me. I nearly shot him, but Shepard stopped me. Enyala shot Niket in the back, and hell got loose. We tore through the group of mercs, and I got the satisfaction of killing the captain myself. We then went to check on Oriana to make sure she was safe. She was, and I wanted to leave as soon as I had gotten the all clear from Shepard. He however, persuaded me to talk to her. And I did. I now had not only gained my sister, but I knew I had also made a trustworthy friend: Shepard.

_**Heart, you're the one  
you're the unbreakable heart  
You're the one, you're the one**_

Shepard came by to visit me afterwards, to check in on me. I thanked him for his help, and told him he had my complete trust. He asked me about Oriana, and I told him all about our conversation. I had smiled while talking about it, and Shepard didn't waste time in bringing it up. A mutual understanding fell in the room, and that was when our friendship was "made official". We started having more open conversations, and the subject of my allegiance with Cerberus finally came up. I brought up how I felt about their goals, and how I was more than willing to help them. He said I was more than a tool to be used by Cerberus, or by anyone. Said I was worth so much more than that. He also told me his thoughts about Cerberus. Here's what he said:

_**Don't look them in the eyes  
believe me they're gonna try  
To fill you up with lies**_

_**They'll try to take your pride, try to take your soul  
You're the one, you're the one  
Look you in the eyes, fill you full of lies  
You're the one, you're the one  
You're the unbreakable heart**_

I eventually began to have my doubts about Cerberus, and they started right after Project Overlord. I was beginning to wonder if Cerberus's goals met with all that they were doing. It wasn't the organization I had signed up for, at least, not anymore. I didn't voice my doubts to anyone, but they were definitely there. The time came when we went to get the reaper IFF, and then another mission. The entire crew of the ship had been abducted, except for Joker, who to make things bloody worse, had unshackled Edi. Shepard was going to save the crew, he didn't let anyone convince him otherwise. It was time to launch the suicide mission, hit the collector home world. We were as prepared as we would ever be, and there was no turning back now. Whatever happened next would determine the fate of humanity. Shepard is someone I will follow till the end. Edi's voice filled the CIC, letting us know once we'd hit the relay in 5…4…3…2…1… and we were here. Here goes nothing.

_**You're the one, you're the one  
You're the unbreakable heart  
You're the one, you're the one**_

I will fight till my last breathe. I won't give up, it's not me. I'll give it all I got, because I've got an unbreakable heart filled with determination.

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**A/N How was it? Let me know :)**

**(1) I felt like regardless of her icy exterior Miranda would still feel bad about losing all those people during the attack. **

**-MKShepard **


End file.
